Fort Greely Army Base in Fairbanks, AK

Contact Information

Phone: (907) 873-3284

DSN: 873-3284

Fort Greely is one of the small, yet very important US military bases located in Greely. According to the 2000 census, the fort hosted not more than 461 individuals. It is located in the central side of the state, in a plain field close to the Richardson Highway. The place was built to test and successfully launch anti ballistic missiles. At the same time, the weather is perfect for the Cold Regions Test Center. It can easily host various tests at extreme weather conditions, depending on the time of the year. The fort is named in the memory of Adolphus Greely.

History

The site was chosen for the initial Big Delta camp in 1942, as part of the US preparation plans for World War II. The place was in the middle of nowhere. In order to connect it with the most important surrounding objectives, the authorities also approved the construction of the Alaska Highway to connect it with the Richardson Highway and Canada. Believe it or not, the relationships between the United States of America and Russia were not always so cold. Back then, the US government used to help the Russian forces against the Empire of Japan and Germany with multiple supplies and planes. The name was changed by the end of World War II to Allen Army Airfield. Soon after the war ended, the actual construction began as Fort Greely.

The war represented a good trigger for the US Army. By the end of the war, the US Army figured how important it was to train its troops for absolutely any environment, including the extreme weather conditions. The decision came after the experience in the cold Russian lands. Therefore, the fort was organized to support and deal with the training under such cold conditions. The decision was more than perfect. It took a few years for the Cold War to start, therefore it seems the US Army took the best decision. At the beginning of the ’60s, one of the new facilities and improvements included the construction of a nuclear electrical power plant. However, it didn’t activate for too long, as the intense radiation destroyed the metal parts. It was one of the three such power plants of those times.

The current objective was assigned in the modern times, after the US government has announced its decision to break the Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty and withdraw from it. It is said that the most important danger these days is the nuclear power of North Korea, which is expected to hit the West Coast of the USA. However, all these are nothing but rumors that might soon be taken for the real reasons of an actual invasion.

Housing

When dispatched to Fort Greely, it is important to contact the local accommodation service early. This way, you have the chance to lose all the relocating stress while looking for a home. Processing the application might take months, but if you do it early, you might skip all this waiting time.